I'm interrupting this dormant dog-blog to write about my entry into the world of children's literature - there will still be the occasional mention of my erstwhile doggie companion who is still a pup in spirit, if not in size.

13 Feb 2012

Puppy School - lesson 3

Him-in-Doors put Pip in his harness for me this morning so I could strap him into the car. The harness attaches to a seat-belt. This was much more successful than the crate and although he stood up a few times, it made for a more pleasant journey to puppy school.

Gravy Beef marked P.S for Puppy School

Felt mildly guilty because we hadn’t really done a whole lot of practice. Luckily I have a smart dog, who once he realises there’s half a kilo of gravy beef on tap, he pretty much does what he’s supposed to.

He can now sit, come and stand at my side. He’s still mastering heel and drop and is pretty good at stay (unless there are any distractions).

Today, Ruth tried to teach Pip to fetch. Now Pip is pretty good at fetching – we’ve had lots of practice on the beach – and unlike other dogs I’ve known who get a ball and then you practically have to wrench it out of their teeth, Pip does actually drop the ball for us.

Unfortunately, Ruth used a ‘bone’ made out of lamb’s wool for the first fetch exercise. Pip got hold of the bone and loved it. He bounded onto the couch and sat there chewing on it. Ruth tried to get him to give it back but he wasn’t having it. She went and got a Pooh Bear toy and eventually was able to persuade Pip to give up the lamb’s wool bone in favour of Pooh.

Mid-lesson Pip decided to pee in the middle of the training room. Luckily it’s in a shed with faux grass so it wasn’t a major deal – kind of funny actually.

Talked to Ruth about the possibility of allowing Pip to become an inside dog. This will require a lot of training – toileting and also, no-go zones, such as the couch, etc.